Along with updated party speakers, Bluetooth speakers, and tons of wireless earbuds and headphones, JBL has something new to show CES 2024 attendees: its first set of open-ear earbuds. They’re called the SoundGear Sense, and JBL expects they’ll be available by March 2024 for $150, in both black and white colors.
As with all open-ear earbuds, the SoundGear Sense let you hear your music, calls, and podcasts while allowing you to maintain perfect awareness of your surroundings. Instead of sitting inside your ear and/or sealing your ear canals with silicone tips, the SoundGear Sense sit just outside your outer ear and use air conduction (as opposed to bone conduction) to let you hear audio.
The SoundGear sense use 16.2mm drivers and the earhooks are adjustable, not fixed in place. Like the recently announced Soundcore AeroFit Pro, they also include a detachable neckband for a more secure fit, as well as more convenience — you can remove the earbuds without having to return them to their case or put them in your pocket.
To keep them from harm while working out, they feature an IP54 rating for dust and water protection. That means sweat and rain won’t be an issue, but don’t take them in the shower and definitely keep them out of the pool.
JBL claims you’ll get six hours of playtime from the earbuds, and an additional 18 hours when you include the charging case. A quick-charge feature promises four extra hours of music after just 15 minutes of charging.
There are two mics per earbud for making calls, and Bluetooth Multipoint support lets you stay connected to two devices simultaneously. Finally, they’re compatible with the JBL Headphones app, which makes personalized EQ and touch control adjustments possible.
JBL also announced a very affordable set of wired earbuds with a USB-C connection — the $25 JBL Tune 310C — which can be used with both Android smartphones and the iPhone 15 without any additional adapters. It will also be available in March in black and white.
Because it’s a USB-C connection, the earbuds support lossless, hi-res audio, though JBL hasn’t indicated yet whether that means just 24-bit/48kHz or whether they support higher sampling rates.
The tangle-free, flat cable features an inline three-button remote for music playback and volume control, plus a built-in mic for phone calls or using a voice assistant. JBL says the Tune 310C have EQ presets too, but we’re not sure if these are accessible from the remote or if they require software on the attached device.
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